First Call: Liberty's coach thinks Steelers will take Malik Willis if available; Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert say QBs still on table in draft

Monday’s “First Call” checks in on Mason Rudolph’s state of mind as the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback position remains up for grabs. One college coach thinks his quarterback could be Pittsburgh bound. Marc-Andre Fleury’s debut in Minnesota was a success.

And there was no rest on Sunday for the NHL’s Eastern Conference.

What’s on Mason’s mind

If Mason Rudolph feels burned by the Steelers’ decision to sign Mitch Trubisky to compete for the starting quarterback gig, he is doing a pretty good job of hiding it.

Appearing Friday on the Rich Eisen Show, Rudolph didn’t seem put off by the addition of Trubisky to the quarterback room.

“My status is finally having the ability to compete to be the starting quarterback,” Rudolph said. “I think there’s a lot to be excited about. The pieces around us. We’ve bolstered the o-line, got a couple great young receivers, a young running back who’s a workhorse. A lot to be excited about.”

He also praised head coach Mike Tomlin, despite Tomlin’s obvious interest in many of the high profile quarterbacks in this year’s draft.

“He’s had my back for a long time. We have a lot of informal conversations that are fun.” Rudolph said. “We’ve all been on teams where coaches are ‘CEOs,’ and they kind of hang back in the shadows, and he does a great job of connecting.”

Where Tomlin’s support of Rudolph was the most obvious and evident was in the wake of the Myles Garrett helmet swinging incident. Despite suggestions that Rudolph used a racial slur to send Garrett into his fit of rage, Tomlin fervently stood behind Rudolph.

But for as much support as Tomlin has shown to Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins, one of them will likely be gone before the season starts if the team elects to draft a quarterback in the first two rounds, as many mock drafts are suggesting.

Speaking of that …

On Sunday, both Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert said Trubisky’s signing doesn’t preclude them from selecting a quarterback high in next month’s draft.

Colbert added on attending top QB prospect pro days: “we want to make sure we’re covered.” https://t.co/nJa5sDelsS

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) March 27, 2022

Tomlin referred to last week’s tour of NFL pro days featuring high profile college quarterbacks (such as Liberty’s Malik Willis, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder) as “quarterback week.”

Well, that “week” is getting extended, as Colbert will attend Sam Howell’s pro day at North Carolina on Monday. Tomlin won’t be there as he needs to continue attending league meetings. And Tomlin said he was upset about not being able to be there in person.

‘Give me Liberty, or give me … that defensive lineman from Georgia?’

There’s little doubt that the athleticism and arm strength of Willis intrigues the Steelers. Tomlin and Colbert were watching him closely at both his pro day and the Senior Bowl.

But according to ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay on the “First Draft” podcast, the franchise likes him so much that Liberty coach Hugh Freeze is telling him the Steelers want him at pick No. 20 if Willis’ name is still on the board when the Steelers draft in the first round.

“‘Mike Tomlin loves this guy,’” McShay quoted Freeze. “‘Even Mike said when we talked, we’d love to have him. We just don’t know if we can get him.’”

Before that quote is taken as fact, it sounds like Tomlin is putting that idea into the ether for a few prospects. He made a similar comment about defensive tackle Jordan Davis when he was at Georgia’s pro day.

Also, don’t forget, VSiN’s Shaun King extended a similar anecdote about the Steelers’ alleged interest in Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, if he avoided indictment (as he did) earlier this month.

Watson was openly courted by at least four teams. The Steelers were not one of them. If they had interest, it never became public, and Watson wound up with the Cleveland Browns.

Flower just fine

Former Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury made his first start as a member of the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. He was traded to that team from the Chicago Blackhawks in advance of Monday’s deadline.

Fleury and the Wild won the game at home over the Columbus Blue Jackets by a final score of 3-2. Fleury stopped 23 of 25 shots along the way.

Us: Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it.

Also us: A ???????????????????????? of saves. pic.twitter.com/RBCWysE0ee

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 27, 2022

During an intermission segment that ran on TNT, Fleury confirmed reports that surfaced a few months ago which suggested the he didn’t want any part of playing in Washington. There had been talk that the Capitals wanted Fleury to improve their goaltending, but he didn’t want to be a part of a team that was such a big rival of his during his 13 years with the Penguins.

Marc-Andre Fleury just confirmed on @NHL_On_TNT's intermission show that he respects the #Caps but wasn't interested in coming to Washington at the deadline after all of the playoff battles as a member of the Penguins. "It just didn’t seem right," he said.

— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) March 27, 2022

After the game, Fleury praised former Penguins teammate Bill Guerin, who is now the general manager of the Wild.

“ I think Billy G did a great job building this team and I think we can do some damage in the playoffs “ - Marc-André Fleury pic.twitter.com/OZStuEcigk

— Wild Takes (@WildTakes10k) March 27, 2022

The Wild’s other goaltender, Cam Talbot, started Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche. Minnesota won that game 3-2 in overtime. Colorado has a 14-point lead on the second-place Wild atop the Central Division.

Eastern action

As the Penguins were thrashing the Detroit Red Wings 11-2 on Sunday, their next opponent was an overtime winner in Buffalo.

The New York Rangers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-4. That means New York has 89 points. The Penguins have 90. The Carolina Hurricanes sit atop the Metropolitan Division with 93.

The Rangers and Penguins play each other Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. New York won Friday’s contest between the two teams 5-1.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Islanders 4-1. And the Division-leading Florida Panthers lost in Toronto 5-2.

So that means in the Atlantic Division, Florida is on top with 94 points. The Lightning are in second with 88 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins are tied in third and fourth with identical 41-19-5 records (87 points).